


Orange scent

by MelindaCoulson4



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Feels, Found Family, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Working Together as a Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 13:19:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13952412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelindaCoulson4/pseuds/MelindaCoulson4
Summary: Someway, somehow a handful of people have spent a lifetime bonding over oranges. It's an odd thing, but most things are when shield is involved. Based on info from 5x12. Fitzsimmons, philinda, Daisy Deke brotp. Fitzsimmons child. Fitzsimmons & Deke





	Orange scent

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a joke for me and then became completely serious. I hope it warms your heart!
> 
> Warning: you will be spoiled if you haven't watched 5x12
> 
> I can't get over Deke & Fitzsimmons :)

_2018_

  
"What in the hell is that smell?" May clamors into the room, nose curling up in disgust.   
  
Daisy sighs as her head drops into her hands. "It's Deke."  
  
Coulson comes in not a second later. "It smells like a fruit salad blew up in here. Oh....God." He begins coughing in response to the aerosol in the air. It's momentarily stunned his lungs.   
  
Daisy watches in horror as he struggles to catch his breath. _No, not this. Not now._    
  
Everyone pauses what they're doing. Fitz and Simmons grow silent in their suspicious huddle in the corner of the room. Yo-Yo drops the pencil in her robotic hand. Mack looks up from his position behind her, helping her get a hang of the new arms Fitz designed.   
  
Daisy makes a move to get out of her chair and go to Coulson's side, but May beats her to it.   
  
May already has a hand on his back.    
  
"I'm fine," Coulson reassures her as he gently squeezes her bicep.   
  
They're all still coming to terms with his apparent death sentence. It's a touchy subject for all of them. Anytime Coulson so much as frowns everyone seems to freeze up.   
  
So now that Deke has absolutely blanketed the room in what seems like 5 cans of the orange aerosol spray it's no surprise that they all freak out a little bit in response to Coulson's lack of breath.   
  
"I'm so sorry," Deke pipes up from the corner of the room where he was reading some kind of medical textbook that Simmons had picked up.    
  
Mr. Trigger Happy is what Daisy likes to call him now. Ever since that day in the supply room he's been obsessed with the smell of the spray. He'd actually tossed all of the cans he could find into a backpack and then hid it somewhere in his bedroom.  
  
"Don't do it again. You understand me?" May begins stomping in Deke's direction.

Daisy wouldn't be surprised at all if May tried to hit him. She'd taken on the role of Coulson's protector with a fierce seriousness (even more than before).  
  
Before May can get halfway across the room Coulson grabs her wrist. "Melinda, it's okay."  
  
May turns toward him and they lapse into one of their trademark mom and dad staring contests.   
  
Daisy watches them like a hawk. They've been attached to the hip for weeks now, but still she can't tell if they've crossed that proverbial line in their relationship or not. All she knows is there's been a lot of: _‘Melinda's’_ coming out of Coulson's mouth lately and that never used to happen.   
  
"Well....uhh... Simmons...I mean Jemma and I have an announcement....to make," Fitz stammers as he steps up into the center of the room. His hands shake back and forth at his side, demonstrating a nervousness that he hasn't shown in a while. He only gets like this when it's something serious.   
  
A dark pit of despair opens up in Daisy’s stomach. Her first thought is that it's about Coulson. Fitzsimmons have been working day and night on finding a possible cure. She knows that they're pouring their hearts and souls into the research. The evidence is there in the dark circles under both of their eyes.   
  
"Umm...." Fitz pauses. A bright shade of red seems to creep up his neck as he turns toward Simmons for help.   
  
Simmons steps up with an unreadable expression on her face.   
  
_Oh God. What is it?_ The anticipation is killing her.   
  
"I'm... pregnant," Simmons shares as a smile breaks out on her face.   
  
Daisy has never seen a brighter smile of pure happiness on either Fitz or Simmons' faces.   
  
A commotion bursts out all around them.   
  
_Congratulations!  
  
Oh my God!  
  
That's amazing!  
  
_ Daisy squeals, instantly beginning to think of clever onesies she can start buying for the baby.   
  
They all huddle up hugging and cheering, everyone ecstatic and brightening at the good news. Mostly everyone cries, but thankfully, this time with tears of joy.  
  
As Daisy wipes her tears, she spots Deke still in the corner of the room and visibly uncomfortable with his hands shoved in his pockets. She feels a pang of sadness. While it was true that he'd unofficially joined their team, he still wasn't particularly close with any of them. He couldn't understand the history between the rest of them. It's not something that can be explained, only felt through experience and time.  
  
She hopes that one day he'll be able to find his place here. Until then she'll keep being his friend, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he is.   


* * *

 

_2019_

  
"Yea and you see it goes right here…"   
  
"Well what if you...."  
  
"You're right if we put the mixture on..."  
  
Daisy rolls her eyes, tuning them out, unable to listen a second longer. She shouldn't have come in here with Deke and Fitz. If she were to put an example of torture in the dictionary this would be it. Having to listen to the endless droning on about necrotic tissue, fluid in the lungs, contaminated blood, and other terrible things she'd rather not think about.   
  
Fitz had come to her this morning telling her that she had to sit in on their research meeting. In case they needed her to search the web for possible information on a cure for Coulson's sickness. Any bit of evidence based data. Well, they hadn't asked her anything in over two hours. Instead, she's had to listen to them bounce ideas off of each other like two 5 year olds on a candy high. It was not possible to follow anything that they were saying. There was no conceivable way to comprehend the absolute gibberish that was coming out of their mouths. Once one would talk the other would jump in and so on. They continuously spoke over each other. Her brain hurt, if that was even possible.   
  
Ever since Jemma had begun resting more because of the pregnancy and the impending birth Deke had stepped in to help Fitz. Cue this weird partnership between Deke and Fitz. A bit of a bromance had developed between them. When they weren't working in the lab they were talking about soccer. And when they weren't talking about soccer they were talking about the Earth (the customs, the religions, the food, the animals, etcetera). Honestly, they really just never stopped talking to each other about all things. They were kind of insufferable.   
  
"That is brilliant. Yes. Yes!"  
  
"Ha! Bloody genius!"  
  
_And....._ cue the high fives.  
  
She would suffer through this though. She would do whatever it takes as long as they kept working and making progress.   
  
_Anything to save Coulson._    
  
Recently the search for a cure had become desperate. The prognosis had changed. Each day they'd given him a physical checkup and a blood test. Three days ago, Fitz and Deke had delivered the devastating news. He only had two weeks to live and that was being optimistic.    
  
He'd basically been put on house arrest. The sickness had severely debilitated his lung function.   
  
The coughing and the wheezing had increased tenfold. The scar tissue had spread around his bronchial tubes.  
  
Deke was the one who came to her, told her she needed to sit down, and broke the news.   
  
Ever since then she couldn't stop thinking about how he'd said the scar tissue was basically squeezing Coulson's lungs therefore constricting his airway. _How was it possible that dead scar tissue could do that?  
_  
They'd started him on a cocktail of drugs- pain relieving ones. After that, he was unable to get out of bed. He could only muster up the strength to shower and occasionally walk around the bunker to keep his muscles from deteriorating. The rest of the time, he was either sleeping or barely conscious. At least that's how she'd seen him in the few times he'd allowed her to visit.   
  
His face had become far too thin, his skin deathly pale. He could barely hold a coherent conversation with her. Every word that left his mouth was slurred. And when he wasn’t trying to talk he just stared at her. his eyes would lock onto hers intensely for a prolonged period of time. It made her uncomfortable because when she looked back into his eyes she didn’t see Coulson anymore, she saw emptiness.   
  
_"D'sy,"_ he'd managed to mumble one day.   
  
All she could do was grab his hand and squeeze it tightly, biting back the tears that filled her eyes.   
  
Thankfully, May had come back into the room shortly after. Once that happened, Daisy had fled, unable to handle the overwhelming stress of the interaction.   
  
She was so grateful for May who'd stayed strong through this whole thing. May had all but moved into Coulson’s room, never wanting to leave his side. They'd stopped fighting whatever was between them and gave into the pull. She'd seen a few kisses between them when she dropped off food trays for them. There were times when May would be holding Coulson’s face, trying to keep his attention on her, while she whispered sweet nothings to him.  
  
_"We'll be okay,"_ May had whispered one day while cradling his face.  
  
That particular moment made tears spring in Daisy's eyes.   
  
There was one awkward encounter between them all. Daisy had walked in on them while they were in the middle of a private moment. She'd pushed the door open with her foot, hands full with coffee and hot tea only to see May's bare back shifting around as she straddled Coulson's hips. The instant Daisy had seen it her eyes squeezed shut and she'd sprinted back to where she came from wanting to bleach the memory from her brain. Needless to say they did not get any visits from her for a while after that and she always made sure to knock loudly to get the okay before going into Coulson's room.   
  
"It's just amazing. No formal education and still he can figure this out," Fitz says smiling wildly right in her face while pointing at Deke.   
  
Daisy raises her eyebrows. "Yea great," she responds sarcastically.   
  
"Well I have to give credit to my parents. They gave me the books….pushed me. Always told me it was important to be educated. To use your mind." Deke grins, a shit-eating grin, completely satisfied with himself.   
  
"That's true....very true." Fitz laughs, actually audibly chuckles and envelops Deke into a bear hug.   
  
_Ugh_ , they are so unbearable. This is too much. _They're hugging now?_    
  
Daisy just stares at her laptop, focusing on the screen saver- all kinds of shapes floating through a black screen. Looking at this is much more appealing than watching the bro fest in front of her.   
  
"Don't you get it, Daisy?" Deke slams his hands on the tabletop in front of her making her almost jump out of her skin.   
  
"Hello! Wake up!" Fitz yells.   
  
"Daisy.....we've found it. We've got it." Deke gets into her face, eyes almost bulging out of his head with excitement.   
  
"Got what?" She mumbles still unamused with them. She can't imagine what they've found.   
  
"The cure!"  


* * *

 

  
_2023_

  
  
"Pop-pop!" Sophie yells, pumping up her arms comically, preparing to run full force into Coulson's arms.   
  
Daisy's stomach hurts from laughing so hard at Sophie's tiny face scrunched up as she collides with Coulson's hands.   
  
He easily stops her small four year old body and lifts her above his head.   
  
" _Oof_. You're getting too big. My old bones can't support you....oh. Oh no, we're going down!" Coulson pretends to lose all of his strength as he drops Sophie in midair, then catches her at the last second against his chest.   
  
Sophie giggles with her head thrown back, eyes closed, and mouth wide open. Her arms wind around his neck as she continues smiling and producing the childish laughter that they all can't help but laugh at.   
  
The sound raises the mood in the room as everyone else watches on amusedly.   
  
Coulson holds Sophie tightly as his eyes crinkle with pure joy while laughing right along with her.   
  
"Okay enough on grandpa. Time for a snack." Simmons says, interrupting the fun times.   
  
Coulson puts Sophie down, but all she does is turn away from Simmons while crossing her arms over her chest, pouting.   
  
That girl was mostly a treasure during these trying times but in moments like these Daisy is glad that she's just the aunt and not the mother. Sophie has been known to give silent treatments lasting for hours at a time. To say she had a little bit of an attitude would be an understatement. Daisy knows it's all in her genes though- the stubborn willpower that comes from being a Fitzsimmons.   
  
"Soph, come here," May whispers from her spot next to Coulson.   
  
Sophie runs to May instantly.   
  
_Of course, only grandma could fix the problem_.   
  
May leans down and whispers in Sophie's ear to which, Sophie visibly brightens.   
  
"But only if you eat what mommy and daddy give you first," May warns as she reaches for Sophie's ribs and tickles her quickly managing to get another giggle out of her.   
  
"Eat your fruit." Simmons raises an eyebrow, letting Sophie knowthat she isn't playing around.  
  
Sophie picks through the fruit salad in front of her. Simmons did a damn good job of cutting up grapes, apples, bananas, oranges, and strawberries. They're not exactly easy to come by these days.   
  
Sophie pops two grapes in her mouth, chewing slowly and reveling in all of the attention she's getting. All eyes in the room are on her. None of them can resist how cute she is, especially now with her light brown hair done up in a little pony tail.   
  
The oranges come next, of course. Always the oranges. Sophie saves them for last since they're her 'favorite food ever'. She bites into the pieces of orange and smiles satisfactorily, her small legs kicking back and forth in her chair.   
  
After finishing the oranges, Sophie sticks her tongue out in disgust as she looks at what's left in the bowl. "Eh!"   
  
"At least she ate the oranges." May laughs, which is a common occurrence now. Ever since Sophie was born and Coulson got better May's laughs have been everyday parts of life. She'd become so much lighter and unburdened, which is understandable. Coulson is the man she loves. Once he was healed it was like a switch had been flipped. She and Coulson did not have a care in the world especially now that they've been together for over four years. They were unashamedly public with their affection for one another- almost too much in Daisy's opinion. They were always touching each other. It was mostly holding hands, which was fine, cute even. But when they started getting too handsy in common areas or the kisses became a little gross to watch, that's when she thought they needed to settle down. She swears they do it on purpose at this point just to see her reaction.   
  
"Aunt Daisy!"  
  
"Yea, Soph?"   
  
"Here. You eat." Sophie places the fruit bowl in Daisy’s lap without waiting for a response.   
  
"Wow, thanks so much. I love when you give me your leftover finger food," Daisy quips. It's a little bit of a running gag now. Whenever Sophie doesn't want a food item on her plate she finds a way to somehow pass it to her. A little genius in the making is what she is.  
  
"Okay finished, Mom-mom!" Sophie jumps up and down excitedly in front of May.   
  
"You did so good!" May praises her and pulls a full-sized Hershey's bar from behind her back.   
  
Daisy's jaw drops. _Where the hell did she get that from?_ Chocolate is one of the scarcest supplies in the lighthouse. She must've been trading for months to work her way up to a chocolate bar. Or she could've just stolen it from somewhere with her ninja skills. _Yea,_ that's probably what happened.   
  
No one is going object to the four year old receiving the best damn gift anyone could ask for.   
  
Fitz and Simmons simply shake their heads unable to deny their daughter this simple pleasure.   
  
Sophie waits impatiently for Fitz to rip the wrapper open for her. She reaches out for it, but he pulls the chocolate bar back before she can make contact. "Wait....what do you say?"   
  
"Thank you, Mom-mom!"  
  
"You're welcome," May responds softly, then glances over at Coulson and they share a smile, like they're the only ones that know some incredible secret.

 _Ugh_ , they're so stupidly in love. Daisy never thought she'd see the day. When she thinks back on how they used to be: hesitant and quiet around each other, it's like they're completely different people now.

Coulson grabs May's hand and their fingers intertwine. He drops a kiss to the top of her head as they both train their eyes on Sophie as she devours the chocolate.   
  
They were able to fall into the grandparent roles all too easily, instantly catering to anything Sophie ever needed. They absolutely spoil her with every chance they get. Whether with candy, _chocolate_ , or presents. They've become the cliché grandparents. But it makes them happy, so Fitz and Simmons don't object too much.   
  
Daisy smiles at the group of them in front of her, thinking that she’s lucky to be here with them. It quickly fades when she spots a figure in the doorway, silently watching them all.   
  
It's Deke.  
  
She chews on a slice of strawberry then gets up to meet him, knowing he sure as hell won't set foot in the room.   
  
"Want a beer?" She asks just to be polite, but already knowing what his response will be.   
  
A face made up of pure disgust is his answer.   
  
"Sorry, no Zima here," she says playfully, aware that he needs this lighthearted banter right now.   
  
They ran out of Zima that about three years ago. Pretty much when they stopped being able to go outside.   
  
They lapse into silence, the sound of the team laughing echoes in the doorway.   
  
She wants to say something, anything to help comfort him. But it's a situation unlike any other. Her words have failed him before. There's no fixing this awkward heavy secret that only they're aware of.   
  
"You don't have to always hide," she tells him somewhat hesitantly, not wanting to overstep.   
  
He nods, glancing down at his feet, purposefully avoiding her gaze. "You know how I feel about it," he mumbles.   
  
Daisy can see the emotion behind his eyes as he pretends to be okay with all of this.   
  
"It's just too weird, you know?"  
  
"Yea," she agrees, completely understanding. It's more than weird. It's borderline creepy. To see your mom grow up right in front of your eyes. That's just...there really aren't words to describe it.   
  
She still remembers the day Fitzsimmons brought Sophie home and Deke came to her freaking out, grabbing his hair, fingers shaking against his pants leg, sputtering incomprehensible sentences.

 _"I...I...I..my mom's name. I mean that's my freaking mom's name! What the hell. This is....I can't even process...."  
  
She couldn't even process it either. What he was saying made no sense.   
  
He'd sat down on the floor, slumping over in a heap, and put his head in his hands.   
  
She'd joined him on the floor and coached him through some deep breathing.  
  
After a good ten minutes he'd explained himself. "Okay....I think that Fitz and Simmons are my grandparents."  
  
She'd laughed, falling backwards onto the floor, unable to hold herself up at that ridiculous thought.  
  
Once she'd gotten a hold of herself she was able to get serious again. "Okay that was good. What is the real reason you're freaking out?"  
  
"I'm serious. Sophie was my mom's name. I think Fitz and Simmons' child is my mom. They're my grandparents." She saw the buildings of a breakdown creeping onto his face again. In that moment he'd seemed so familiar like she'd witnessed something similar before. The wild eyes, the raised eyebrows, the spewing of words. Then she'd realized that he looked just like Fitz in that moment.  
  
But it just wasn't possible. Was it? She'd only thought of making that connection because he suggested it.   
  
"Okay woah woah. Let's just take a step back here." There were too many variables. Of course there had to be more than one person named Sophie right now in the world. Any of them could be his mother not Fitz and Simmons’ kid. There was just no way that a connection like that could occur.   
  
"Blood test. I need a blood test. Right now. I assume you have their DNA on hand that you can test it against?" He'd asked frantically.   
  
It came back as a match. He was their grandson.   
_  
And he'd sworn her to secrecy. She felt terrible for keeping it from Fitzsimmons especially when they constantly asked what was wrong with Deke. Why did he isolate himself? Poor Fitz had lost his new best friend. She made up a lie that he didn't want to get close to anyone when he didn't really belong here.   
  
But it was Deke's decision. It was his family, his secret. It wasn't her business to tell.   


* * *

 

  
_2024_

  
They've put this moment off for too long. It seems like each time they go to confront the problem one of them makes up some type of excuse and the other jumps at the chance to avoid the confrontation, so it never gets handled.   
  
It's become too much- the burden. It's affecting their ability to sleep through the night and their concentration during the day.   
  
They've decided to face it together in this moment while they still have the chance.   
  
Jemma takes the lead, walking into the common area where they know Deke is. They asked everyone to give them some space to work something out, so there was no chance of them getting interrupted.   
  
She spots Deke lying on the leather couch, arms behind his head, headphones covering both ears, softly singing to himself.  
  
"Maybe we should leave him alone....he's resting....having a-"  
  
"Fitz," she sighs. They'd discussed this. No more stalling. They were already this far, she's not going to stop now.   
  
Jemma lightly taps his shoulder. "Deke," she calls out.   
  
There's a second where everything is normal. Deke reacts to the touch by looking up, searching to see who had tapped him. Then, when his brain fully processes who they are he freaks out. The headphones pop off his head and hit the floor as he scrambles off of the sofa, making a break for the exit. "Uhh...uhh I've gotta. Go. I-I-I've gotta go," he fumbles.  
  
"Wait. Please wait," Jemma says to his quickly moving form.   
  
He's already reached the door. They're going to lose him.   
  
"She's not with us," Fitz says.   
  
Deke freezes in place, hands bracing on the doorframe, yet still unable to turn around and face them.   
  
"Sophie she's not here....she's with Coulson and May," Fitz explains further.   
  
In an instant, she knows it's all true. Everything they've theorized. Sophie really was the reason for his distance and bizarre behavior. The explanation for why Deke darted away every time Sophie came near him.   
  
Deke's shoulders slump as he turns around to face them. "So..."  
  
"I was going through the-the computer database. I realized that someone had accessed our DNA. The actual test was deleted but the log was still there. And so was the log for your DNA. It was easy to figure out from there,” Fitz explains.  
  
Deke swallows, nodding.   
  
"How long....have you known?" Jemma inquires, almost afraid to hear the truth.   
  
"Since the first day you brought her here."   
  
_Four years._    
  
He's known that they're related by blood for four years and never said a word. That's four years of wasted time.   
  
They'd feared this exact thing. But to actually hear it from his mouth, that he's lived with this incredible weight hanging over him for all of these years. It breaks her heart.  
  
Fitz moves away, walking over the wall to press his forehead against it, upset that he hadn't picked up on this information.   
  
"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how hard it must've been for you,” Jemma trembles, fighting against the emotions bubbling up inside of her.  
  
Deke silently nods and inhales slowly, clearly also trying to get a hold of himself.   
  
"That's why you pulled away from all of us? From me?" Fitz asks voice quivering.   
  
"Yea...I couldn't. I still can't handle it." Deke pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers.   
  
Jemma's eyes widen at the movement. She knows exactly what that means. He's getting a headache. Suddenly it all makes sense. She could see it now: the resemblance between her grandson and her husband. There have been countless times she's seen Fitz grab his own face exactly like that.   
  
Their mannerisms are identical. Their intellect- their drive for knowledge also matches.   
  
"We understand....completely." She swallows hard, blinking rapidly. The last thing she wants is for him to feel bad for any of this. None of it is his fault. She doesn't blame him for his choice.   
  
"Did she ever...talk about us?" Fitz asks the curiosity in him piqued.   
  
Jemma’s throat closes up. _Did._ Not _does_. They have to refer to her in the past tense. Their daughter is dead already in the future. They knew that. Deke had told everyone years ago, but they hadn't realized the magnitude of the situation at the time.   
  
"Little things. Comments here and there sometimes to me. Sometimes to my dad. She'd say I looked just like her father used to when he was trying to concentrate." 

Jemma watches as Fitz’s eyes fill with tears and his mouth drops open, listening to Deke speak. This was incredibly tough for him. Deke was his friend. They'd worked closely together and bonded while finding a cure for Coulson's sickness. That had happened so long ago. The whole time he'd been unaware that he was working alongside his own grandson.   
  
"When I was 13 she sat me down," Deke pauses, coughing in an attempt to clear the hoarseness from his voice. "Told me I came from a legacy of great people. Told me about shield. I didn't believe it. I mean how could I when we lived like that? I blew her off. I always thought she was being...I don't know...trying to comfort me. Tell me a good story or something...make me believe in the good guys….but she was right. The whole time she was right." He shakes his head, eyebrows furrowing together in pain. "I never thought to ask her what ever happened to you guys."  
  
"What was she like?" Jemma asks, voice shaky as her emotional strength fades with all of this new information. Their daughter who's with Coulson and May right now at this very moment. Their daughter who is a toddler- would grow up, get married, have a child, and die. It was fate. There was nothing they could do to stop it. The living proof of her life fully lived was standing right in front of them.   
  
"Kind. And smart. So smart. Always driven to do something better. She was a doctor actually. So we were better off than most people up there."  
  
"And your father?" Jemma asks hesitantly. She wants to know if Sophie was able to find true happiness, to find someone that had loved her.   
  
"Yea...they loved each other. They were passionate... intellectual. They bonded over books. Textbooks. They always wanted to read. Learn new things. My father became obsessed with that damn piece of the monolith. He taught himself quantum physics just to try to build the damn time machine. He swore to her that he would do it one day. He would make it work."

The three of them stand in silence simply breathing and allowing the emotions to wash over them. They have to process through this no matter how painful. The weight of this conversation lies heavily upon them. It was too much for the mind to handle. They weren’t meant to know this information. They weren’t meant to see the beginning and end of a life at the same time.  
  
All Jemma can picture is her little girl's smiling face so full of life and wonder slowly fading from reality. No, she has to stop this. Sophie is okay. She’s safe with Coulson and May. They would never let anything happen to her.  
  
"How did.....how did...it happen?"  
  
No one in the room has to ask what she was referring to. It was clear. She wanted to know how her daughter died.   
  
"Jemma....we can't," Fitz says, heartbroken, touching her forearm.  
  
The ramifications of them knowing that information were infinite.   
  
Her eyes squeeze shut, unable to glance at Fitz’s face. She can’t look at him now. She can’t bring herself to see the devastation there.

It isn't fair. None of this is fair. She wants to scream and punch something, destroy something, fall to her knees and sink into the floor.   
  
"She was brave. She was so brave," Deke whispers as a tear breaks through his eyelashes and rolls slowly down his left cheek. 

The distance between she and Fitz and Deke is too much. This is their grandson, no matter how odd the situation may be. He is in pain and it is their job to help soothe it. That's what families do. 

She steps forward. Deke doesn’t even register her there. His face is bent towards the floor a look of emptiness covers his face. Her arms curl around his body, her palms rest against his back. The rigidity of his stance lessens slightly. He doesn’t make a move. His arms stay frozen at his sides, but she doesn’t care. The embrace is warm as their bodies press against each other. She increases the pressure of her arms around his chest and shoulders, making sure to keep it gentle and not uncomfortable for him. She wants to convey that it’s okay for him to let go. She’ll hold him tightly.

He breaks down a second later, collapsing against her. his face falls into the crook of her neck and she feels the rush of tears against her skin. The choking sobs that come from his mouth trigger more tears to come cascading down her face. she pulls him tighter into her embrace, needing the comfort of him too, knowing that he is the future of their family.  

All of his family is gone. Everything that he knows has been taken from him. He's been uprooted without much of a choice. All he has left is her and Fitz. 

That’s when she feels Fitz’s arms curl around them both, joining their embrace.

They clutch each other tightly, never wanting to let go. She wants to keep him safe even though he’s an adult he’s still their grandchild.   
  
"You're our family. Don't ever feel that you need to hide away." She tells him steadily through her tears, drawing soothing circles on his back.

She feels him nod into her neck, still unabashedly allowing his tears to flow.  
  
They stand united. Maybe a little broken, but still together as a family. 

* * *

 

  
_2062_

  
  
Sophie can barely hold back tears as she looks at her grown up boy. Now a teenager: thirteen years old today.   
  
"It's really good mom. Thanks." Deke tells her, smiling through bits of his orange slice. 

It warms her heart just to see his face brighten on each birthday when she hands him the best orange that she could find after weeks of hard work. Oranges are difficult to come by. She’s had to trade a variety of items each year, but it’s all worth it. Just to see his appreciation and enthusiasm. He will even sit there with the orange until he’s chewed all of the pulp out of the rind.  

As she looks at him now, she can't help but be taken back to all of the times her mother fed her fresh fruit. How hard her parents worked to always keep her happy and healthy. It maybe cliché to say, but it’s the truth. The whole family always did. They'd taught her what it means to love someone. So she always made a point to find Deke an orange for his special day each year. Growing up, she’d always dreamed of doing the same things for her own child as her parents did for her.  
  
"Hey what are the tears for? This is a happy day." Owen reaches out and squeezes her hand. 

It’s a reflex at this point, to cry whenever she thought of her family. The ache of missing them was something she carried around with her every day.

"I know...he just...he reminds me of my mom. She used to do that." Sophie swipes at the tears on her cheeks, remembering exactly the way her mother would deliver life lessons so casually.  
  
_"We have to appreciate what we've got in front of us, Sophie. Always remember that,” she’d said as she at every part of her orange slice._   
  
Her mother would make sure that she never wasted anything that she got. That she'd always appreciate everything in a world where things were hard to come by. The sentiment has stayed with her all of these years.

She missed her mother desperately. Her beautiful and brilliant mother Jemma Simmons. The woman made up of soft smiles and kind eyes.  
  
"She loved oranges. I have no idea why. We'd eat them all of the time when we were in hiding. I still don't know where my parents got them from. We even had this weird aerosol spray. They had the cans stocked up neatly on one of our shelves. I always thought we had an infinite supply. I swear they lasted for years,” Sophie tells her husband.  
  
She could close her eyes and still remember the strong fresh scent of the aerosol spray. It was almost like biting into a real orange. She did enjoy the smell, but it was still odd the way her parents seemed to have an obsession about the cans, even her Aunt Daisy had a thing for the smell.  
  
_The day that she used up the last of the spray would always stand out in her mind. She'd simply tossed the can into the incinerator without another thought. Hours later, her father began yelling frantically looking for another can. The desperation leeched into his voice as he said, "there has to be another one here, Jemma. There has to be." He'd knocked down every item on that shelf looking for any orange cans that happened to be hiding. She'd watched from afar, not quite understanding what the big deal was._

_Her father began mumbling to himself, the kind of mumbling that she only saw when he was working through equations in his notebook._ _  
_

_"Fitz. Come on. Stop."  
  
Still, he didn't. He continued tossing things onto the floor. He'd actually ruined a few of their old books and antiques that way.  
  
"Fitz." Her mother’s hands had landed on his shoulders and he'd broken down, bending over and sniffling.   
  
“We can't lose him. I can't.”  
  
“We haven't lost him. He's still in every memory that we have.”_

_They’d held each other, clutching each other’s jackets and they’d cried like something significant had disappeared from their lives._    
  
Sophie never found out who the 'he' they were referring to was, preferring not to bring it up and make them upset all over again.   
  
"They must've been sentimental. Did they ever live in Florida? I read that was a big place for oranges,” Owen responds.  
  
"I don't know. They never really talked about where they came from before shield. It didn’t seem to matter. Everything was based around shield. My grandparents. My aunts and uncle. Everything was shield. My family was shield. They were the best team together. It doesn't surprise me that they were the ones trying to save the world."  
  
Ultimately they'd failed but still they tried their hardest and in the meantime made unimaginable sacrifices. Her grandparents died protecting their secrets.

The kree found their bunker when she was just eleven years old. Her grandparents stayed behind to hold the blue bastards off while the rest of them got to safety. It was still one of the worst days of her life. Her Pop-pop and Mom-mom had both hugged her tight, told her to be strong, and to always do what was right. Her dad had to carry her out from crying so hard. She could barely breathe let alone run.   
  
They were all so attached to oranges and that white lump of stone with the red stripe. She never understood its significance. But they were all so adamant about the stupid piece of rock. Even now, she can hear her father’s voice in her head: _“Sophie, nothing is more important than this item. I cannot tell you how imperative it is that you keep it with you forever. Swear to me.”_

She’s kept it with her all these years still unable to figure it out. It’s hidden under a loose tile in the floor of their kitchen along with one picture of her family- the shield team. It’s her most prized possession.

"I wish I would've met them."  
  
"Yea, me too." She squeezes Owen’s hand.  
  
"Deke! Come on birthday boy. It's time for a present,” Owen calls.

Deke sprints into the room immediately.

They hand him an anatomy and physiology textbook.   
  
"Thanks," he grumbles, disappointment clouding his features.  
  
She knows that he's only thirteen and he deserves to be a kid- to have fun, but the world that they live in is harsh. The only people who succeed are the ones that have special knowledge and skills. Sophie will do everything in her power to make sure that her son will grow up to be one of those people.   
  
"What do we always say?" She asks.  
  
"Your brain is your most important asset," Deke sighs.   
  
Another line she got from her father. He'd drilled the mantra into her head ever since she was a child. It would be impossible for her to forget.   
  
It was the Fitzsimmons way, Aunt Daisy had always joked. Sophie always felt confused by the statement, like there was some important information that she was missing. But her aunt would refuse to give anything significant up, she’d simply grin and say, “Its fate, I guess.”   


//end//

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? PLEASE LOL! I really do want to know what everyone thinks of this. Thanks for reading! :)


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